What does the acquisition mean?

Most of us, I believe, raised an eyebrow when we heard that the Shuanghui Group of China agreed to purchase Smithfield Foods for $4.7 billion.

From a brand perspective, this just does not sit right with me.

“China, for good reason, has been much maligned about its food safety.”

Smithfield is the world’s largest producer of pork products. Shuanghui Group is one of China’s largest meat processors. But this is where they stop being similar.

Smithfield is American?

China, for good reason, has been much maligned about its food safety. As many as 16,000 dead pig carcasses recently floated down the Jiapingtang, a tributary to the river where Shanghai gets its drinking water. As if this was not bad enough, the Chinese government said that, even with the rotting pigs, the water still met national standards.

Ewww.

Doesn’t the perception of China’s poor food safety history now have some effect on the Smithfield brand?

It certainly will because the the brand prides itself on its Southern history as well as promises of quality assurance, traceability of each product and commitment to the environment.

Our brand Tom Dougherty, CEO - Stealing Share 2 June 2020 Right now. OUR brand matters most of all. These are the strangest of times — none like I can ever remember or could have imagined. And I can’t help but feel the world is cascading into an...

Black Lives Matter Tom Dougherty, CEO - Stealing Share 1 June 2020 Brands surprisingly respond to Black Lives Matter, sensing change Few institutions are more wary of diving into the ocean of social issues than corporate America. So it was surprising and...

HBO Max arrives Tom Dougherty, CEO - Stealing Share 28 May 2020 HBO Max finally arrives, and what it says about streaming’s future Because we're all being shut in to prevent the spread of COVID-19, streaming TV is booming. And new services are popping up...

Smithfield owned by a China company is not such a good idea was last modified: July 16th, 2018 by Tom Dougherty